Social: Saying 'See Ya' to Social

What if I told you there would be no more social media? Chances are you wouldn’t believe me, but recent news implies that saying see ya to social is exactly the direction we’re headed in… kind of.

Companies like Snap Inc., Twitter, and Facebook have ditched the term “social media” for more sophisticated terminology.

Snap Inc. after recently changing from Snapchat, now classifies itself as a camera company. Twitter has removed their app from the “social” section in Apple’s App Store to the “news” section. Facebook COO, Sheryl Sandberg, says, “There are so many jokes to crack about that…” in response to the idea that Facebook is a social media platform. Sandberg says, “It’s certainly not even a term I think we’ve used in a while.”

So why are companies treating the term “social” like it’s the black plague by running in the opposite direction? Well, by ditching the “social” label, companies are able to offer brands a bigger “media” concept resulting in more ad dollars. 

It might seem crazy at first, but these companies evolving from social media into more sophisticated niches might not be such a bad thing. Nick Cicero, CEO of Snapchat-focused agency Delmondo, says, “When you compare Twitter as a news app to any one individual news organization’s app, Twitter wins, hands down”.

The term “social media” has always had a ring to it that’s attractive to the younger demographics; your millennials and generation z crowd.  Now, with a more buttoned up category, advertisements associated with these media platforms will be able to spend their ad dollars with a more prestigious feel.

Instead of advertising on a place where kids go to talk about their lives, post pictures from their weekend, and share memes (social media), marketers can advertise on a place where people go to get direct news, forecasts, and reliable information (media network).